Last Straw
by WofOZ
Summary: You triumph as a team. You suffer as a team. You live, love and laugh as a team. Not enough sleep, too much coffee and an abundance of bad days lead two Five-0 members to have the biggest smack down of arguments they've ever had. The worst part? They may never get the chance to say they're sorry.


**For those reading my Mai-Tais and Machine Guns story, I'm so sorry... I've written and edited/story edited the next (second last chapter) several times and I just haven't been satisfied with it. GRRRR! I will get there, I'm determined to but I don't want to put out anything I'm not completely happy with. **

**In the mean time... here is my peace-offering, another short that I hope you'll all enjoy as much as the others!**

**Happy reading!**

* * *

Kono Kalakaua was a professional. She'd seen all kinds of arguments and had learned not just how to diffuse situations but make sure most people go home happy. During her time at the Academy she, like her older cousin Chin-Ho, had actually taken courses in conflict resolution. Kono was glad for those classes as they hadn't just helped her when talking down a criminal from doing something really stupid; but it had also helped her in her personal life as well.

Family members would get into a disagreement over something, (which in a family her size was inevitably a weekly occurrence) and if Chin wasn't there, Kono could jump right in and nine times out of ten everyone was happy fifteen minutes later. On the odd chance things didn't work out, she'd send the two parties on their way with a stern warning. In those situations resolution still came, it just took a bit longer.

So Kono was no stranger to shouting and being right in the middle of it. She was well aware that even the closest of people fight and she usually had no problem listening, then building up her own opinion of how best to handle the situation.

However at the moment, Kono didn't just feel awkward and nervous about the argument she was witnessing but the longer it went on, the less she felt she could work things out.

Five-0 was at wit's end with their current case. It had been three weeks of bad leads and stupid low-level criminals who conveniently got amnesia when they got captured, if they knew anything at all. It was day upon day of bad coffee, little sleep, dead ends and the Governor breathing down their necks due to the nature of the case. A case that involved two high-ranking Naval officers who were supposedly using their status to ship drugs onto and off the Islands of Hawaii using Navy technology and resources.

The Governor was pissed. The Navy was pissed. Police departments, in five cities and counting who'd collected the high quality drugs, were pissed and all of them were calling Five-0 headquarters almost daily for updates.

And now, Five-0 was pissed.

Well, Kono was just tired really apart from a bit frustrated and she knew Chin was in a similar position. She'd been seeing her cousin's "tells" for a while now. The Zen like face of Chin-Ho Kelly would twitch ever so slightly every time a phone rang. He'd been cleaning his shotgun almost twice a day, something he'd once said calmed him down and when it came time for a food run, he was first out the door like his shirt was on fire.

Then there was Danny and Steve. Two partners, best friends, practically brothers who'd finally answered one phone call to many and ran into one more dead-end in their search for answers. The explosion was inevitable and Kono had been waiting for it. She knew Chin had as well.

What she hadn't expected was just how bad it was going to get. Steve and Danny spent most of their time bickering good-naturedly with one another. Every now and then they'd get into a real argument, stomp their feet and beat their chests but shortly afterwards realize the need to compromise and be right back at it cheery as ever.

But this fight, this was different and Kono's gut was telling her it wasn't going to be something they'd get over in a day or two. Unfortunately for the youngest member of the team, the fight was taking place in the main entrance of the office between her and her office door. Here two older teammates had come in moments ago and started into it right then and there not bothering to seek out a more private space. This basically left Kono with no chance of escape or sanctuary.

"I can't, CAN NOT believe you!" Danny snarled as his hands waved wildly in the air. Steve rolled his eyes and folded his thick arms across his broad chest, he'd clearly taken his beach head and was not about to give it up.

"Oh I'm sorry!" he snarled back. "I'm so sorry we can't all be Mr. Perfect Detective like Saint Daniel!" Danny's hands flew into the air and he jabbed a finger into Steve's chest. The Navy SEAL's eyes darkened considerably but he still held his ground.

"It's got nothing to do with perfect or not perfect Steve!" Danny spat. "It has everything to do with the mountains of paperwork we have to fill out only to put it through the shredder because you forget one little detail that can ruin an entire case! I mean, did you even think when you man-handled that suspect into the brick wall that maybe, MAYBE you needed to read him his rights before you asked him questions and threw him in the back of the squad car?"

"You're seriously getting _this_ mad at me for something like that?" Steve said. His hands dropped to his hips, something he only did when he was well and truly ready to hurt someone. "Danny... all he had was a knife and a name and address of a dead guy."

"Yes, Steven, a dead guy, a dead guy YOU KILLED three days ago!" Danny spat back. "And it doesn't matter if all he had was a water-gun! You have to follow police procedure! You can't just shoot'em all and let god sort'em out because that is not, IS NOT, going to get us anywhere on this case. Even if it does, half of what we get would be thrown out by any sane judge because friggin' Rambo-Mcgarrett struck again. You're so used to getting me to book your collars and the one time you decide to take in a suspect, you screw it up and make sure half of HPD was there to witness it! You do realize no one back at HPD thinks you even know how to read a suspect their rights, yes?"

"I know the Miranda rights Danny," Steve came back.

"Enforcing that they have a "right to remain silent" by shooting them in the face is NOT an acceptable way of reading them their rights!" Danny shot back.

"Maybe I should just bore the suspect into a confession by asking them to fill out some paperwork and threaten them with paper cuts," Steve replied. Then finally, one hand left his hips and Kono had to hide her wince. Another sign Steve was ready for a long haul vendetta. "Contrary to you always thinking I'm stupid, Danny, I know procedure. I know protocol probably as well as you do but _unlike_ _you_ I act rather than talk people to death."

At that moment, Kono knew the game had changed. Steve's voice did that thing he only does with suspects. It dropped low and eerily calm. A calm that meant nothing good for whomever it was directed at.

"Right," Danny snorted, clearly unaware of the beast he was currently unleashing. "Did you learn them before or after you learned how to water-board a suspect? Eh Steve? Torture 101 with a brief intermission on how to do just enough so you're not imprisoned yourself?" Steve's gaze darkened even further.

"You know what Danny? Maybe if you had any idea what being a _real_ soldier was like you wouldn't always be riding me about procedure," Steve said with that deadly calm. Danny snorted and smirked but it died as Steve took a step forward looming into the shorter man's personal space. "MAYBE, if you served a day in your life when paperwork and Miranda-rights wont stop the bullets and bombs from blowing you and a fellow soldier into a thousand tiny pieces then maybe, just maybe… we'd have solved this case by now."

And there it was. Kono's heart did the samba as she held her breath and suddenly wished she could disappear. Or at least that Chin would get back from his damn lunch run.

For a second, Danny and Steve just started at one another. There expressions were dead, their eyes burning with rage and their bodies so rigid they just might break at the lightest of breezes.

Sure the two men had fought but never had they questioned one another about their abilities in their respective areas of expertise. However even more so unheard of, the one golden rule for all the Five-0 members was never, ever, ever, blame someone else for not getting the job done. They worked with an intimate team dynamic, they survived as a team, they suffered as a team and one person's mistake or triumph was all of theirs to share or celebrate.

"I've been a detective for just as long if not longer than you've been going on your secret missions," Danny ground out. Oh yes, he was well and truly enraged, Kono thought.

"Yeah? Good for you Danno," Steve smirked sarcastically. He pretended to hug himself before adding, "I feel safer already." Kono winced. Now Steve hadn't just implied Danny was the weak link but he'd brought into question the Jersey native's entire contribution to the law enforcement world. Danny turned away from Steve, closed his eyes and worked his jaw before turning back to the head of Five-0.

"Are you questioning my worth?" he asked out-right. Damn it all if Steve didn't flinch ever so slightly at the comment. The Commander took a step back, out of Danny's personal bubble but with the attitude of a stubborn mule he shook his head.

"Only you would go that far," he snorted. And suddenly Danny was in Steve's face undoubtedly surprising the Navy SEAL.

"Yes I would go that far! I would go that far because that is exactly, EXACTLY what you just implied!" he snarled. Kono had never seen the man so red-faced and angry. Steve opened his mouth but Danny wasn't done. "If the grey mush between your ears was actually capable of thinking before you speak or G*d forbid, _act, _you'd be able to read between the lines like I just did. And what I'm readin' right now says you think this case isn't solved because I haven't been pulling my weight!"

"Danny I didn't-"

"So not only are you questioning my worth and my ability to do my job; but you're also implying if your life were in my hands, you wouldn't trust me as much as you would one of your SEALS!" Danny interrupted. "Is that what you're saying? Is that what you want me to believe after all the times we've ridden together!?" Steve suddenly looked out of his element but damn it all if he was going to give in.

"I'm not saying that Danny, you're blowing this way out of-"

"Proportion!?" the Detective spat. "Would you or would you not, rather have one of your gun-totting, grenade throwing, knife wielding, kung-fu grip Navy SEAL buddies riding shot-gun with you on this case or any other for that matter, over me!? Answer me!" Steve worked his jaw just as Chin-Ho finally returned and froze at the sight before them. Danny and Steve never looked away from one another but worse still, Steve didn't answer the question.

"What's going on?" Chin asked as delicately as possible. Danny stepped back and turned away from Steve who still stood there like a statue. His lips hadn't even moved.

"Clearly nothing," the detective replied. "S'at lunch?" Kono's heart was about to burst out of her chest with concern at Danny's sudden and disturbingly calm demeanor.

"Uh... yeah," Chin replied holding up one of the white bags that had "Danny" scrawled on it.

"Good, I'm starving," Danny replied. He took the bag and headed for his office. The only indication that something was still very, very wrong was when Danny's door closed the detective made a clear point of looking at Steve through the glass wall before pulling the blinds. Finally Kono found the ability to move again and moved closer to help Chin with the other bags but also look at Steve.

"Boss," she said carefully. "You okay?"

"I'm going to run an errand," Steve said without emotion.

"Need help?" Chin asked. Though the man didn't know the situation, he clearly knew Steve probably shouldn't be alone at the moment.

"It's fine, I wont be long," Steve replied. He started toward the door only to stop, turn around and give the cousins a hardened look. "Don't let him leave the office without letting me know."

"Steve..." Kono began. Steve didn't say anything before continuing to the door. Chin all but threw the food into Kono's hands before chasing their boss out the door. Something Kono was glad for, if anyone could calm Steve down it would be Chin.

Ten minutes later, Kono dared venture toward the Jersey native's office. She gave a gentle knock before opening the door and slipping inside. The white bag of food sat untouched on the corner table of Danny's office and the detective himself was just printing something off from his computer.

"Hows'it brah?" Kono asked carefully. Danny shrugged before pulling a sheet off the printer and sitting back down at his desk.

"Could be better," he replied. Then after a pause he sighed, "Sorry you had to see that babe." Kono smiled, relaxing a bit and taking up the chair across from her teammate.

"Don't worry about it," she said. "Steve'll get over it, he always does."

"Yeah but he shouldn't have gotten into it," Danny replied with a touch of anger in his voice. "Look, I respect the hell out of that man, I do and not just for everything he's done for his country but what he's done for these Islands. I mean, I come to work and my daughter thinks I'm a superhero and that's because of Five-0. It's because of you and Chin and a big thanks to our stupidly fearless leader for dragging me into this crazy pot. But for him to think what I do is just... busy work... that it doesn't mean as much as the shootouts and car chases. Considering how much I respect _him_… Kono, babe… that just hurts."

"I'm sure he didn't mean it Danny," Kono tried taping into her conflict resolution. "This case is getting all of us pretty stressed out and we say things we don't mean in that kind of situation. That's all this is. It's just…"

"Stress?" Danny asked chuckling a bit. Kono nodded taking the chuckle as a good sign. She was wrong however when Danny turned the sheet of paper in his hand toward her and stood. "Well I'm too old, to handsome and too tired for this kind of _stress_." Looking at the paper Kono felt her mouth go dry. At the top of the page, just under the official crest of Five-O it read;

**From: Detective Danny Williams**

**Re: Letter Of Resignation**

Snapping her head up she gawked at the man who was fiddling with his filing cabinet as if nothing were wrong.

"Danny... no," she stated. Danny turned back toward her with a file in hand and smiled warmly at her.

"Don't worry, I've agreed to stay on until this case and the two other major ones we've got going on are resolved," he said. Kono was on her feet the dreaded resignation letter dropped to the man's desk as if it were acid.

"We're having a bad run, Danny," she said. "You two had a bad argument, I get that but you can't say that is enough to quit!"

"It's a _resignation_ Kono, I'm not _quitting_ anything, there's a big difference," Danny replied. "It's not just the argument babe, it's every time he hasn't listened to me and now I know why... because he doesn't trust me. So here's me, making sure he's safe, making sure he keeps you two safe by not having to look over his shoulder... by resigning." Kono's heart was breaking in two and she wanted to say more only to have the phone on Danny's desk ring.

He snatched it up giving Kono a friendly "everything will be okay" wink and a content smile before answering.

"Detective Williams," he answered. Suddenly his eyes darkened and his face went deadly serious. "Where?" he asked. "How sure are you?" After a pause he pumped a fist in the air and grinned. "Okay, okay," he said holstering his gun. "Tell HPD and the MP's they do not, DO NOT move without us, understand? Keep them contained but do. Not. Move." Slamming down his phone Danny slipped his badge onto his belt and picked up the resignation letter.

"What? What's going on?" Kono asked. She followed Danny out the door, grabbing her own weapon and badge.

"Commander Mayer just screwed up big time," Danny said as they rushed out of the office to his car. "Because of the dirt bag we tied up this morning he had no choice but to go pick up the drugs himself in the Navy yard." Kono's eyes went wide with excitement almost forgetting the piece of paper still clutched in her hand.

"We nail him with the drugs and he'll have no choice but to give up Lieutenant Briggs," she exclaimed. She whipped out her phone as they hopped into Danny's car.

"I'll call Chin and get them to meet us at the location," she said. It was only when the phone started ringing did Kono remember the piece of paper that sat on her lap.

"Don't lose that Kono," Danny nodded toward it. "We can give it to Steve when we get there."

"Hey Kono, what's up?" Chin finally answered his phone. And for a good pause, Kono almost forgot how to respond.

"Kono?" Steve's voice came over the phone as well. Apparently she was on speaker. One look from Danny though and she knew the job came first, emotions aside. If nothing else, all the Five-0 members knew that much.

"It's Mayer, we got him," Kono replied.

Forty-five minutes later Five-0 with SWAT backing them up charged the small warehouse where they believed Commander Mayer and his helpers to be. They were inside alright, inside and armed to the teeth. Kono may have lost track of what was going on but she never lost track of her three other teammates. Once they'd gotten to the sight Danny, Chin, Kono and Steve had all gathered around the back of Danny's trunk to gear up and get ready.

Unfortunately, the resignation letter that Kono had stuffed in her back pocket for safe keeping came loose as she put on her bullet proof vest. Since Danny and Steve were avoiding each other like the plague, Steve had been closest to Kono and as fates would have it, snatched the paper up before Kono could.

"What's th-" Steve's words died on his lips as he opened the paper. A second later and he glared at Danny waving it around. "Are you _kidding_ me with this?" he barked. Danny didn't look the least bit repentant.

"You've got me for at least another two weeks Steve," he replied. "Plenty of time to find a replacement... maybe one of your _SEAL_ buddies is looking for a job." Steve's eye's flared with untold emotion and he took a step forward to protest. Only Chin and Kono got there first; Kono grabbing the letter and Chin putting a hand on Steve's vest.

"Hey! We have a job to do," Chin said like a father scolding his children. "We'll deal with everything else after." As the consummate professionals that they were, both Steve and Danny turned away from each other and did just that.

Also as the professionals that they were, they knew when even they couldn't completely ignore their emotions. Without even saying a word, when all hell broke loose in the warehouse, Steve broke off with Chin and Kono broke off following Danny.

There was shouting, there was shooting, there was everything you expected of an incredibly hostile take down of drug dealers who really had no wish to be taken alive. It was only when the shooting started to die down did Five-0 come to the last door that needed clearing almost simultaneously. All four were jacked up on adrenaline, Steve had a cut on his cheek, Chin on his arm while Danny and Kono were unharmed but only because they'd just missed being cut in half by machine gun fire.

In fact, they were only alive simply because Danny had tackled Kono to the ground as some bad guy, now dead bad guy thanks to Kono's accuracy, had started taking his shot.

"After you," Danny bowed toward Steve. Kono and Chin shared a look while Steve rolled his eyes.

"You sure Danny? You sure I'm not going to cause you more paperwork before you abandon this team?"

"You two are ridiculous," Kono snarled. Then without waiting, she pushed past Danny, raised her foot and gave a good hard kick. The door flew open and thankfully brought everyone back into the right head space. Chin was first in, followed by Steve then Kono and finally Danny.

A second later, what turned out to be a small office was cleared and at last, no more shots rang out. Instead there were only commands for people to get on their knees and put their hands behind their heads.

"So... you want to go home now Danno? Get the golf clubs ready?" Steve pushed.

"_Steve_," Chin warned. Danny frowned.

"Re_signing_, Steven… not re_tiring_! If you had any brain cells left you'd know that- STEVE LOOK OUT!" Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Kono had seen the red dot on Steve's forehead a split second after Danny but even that had been too late. The Jersey detective moved faster than Kono could process, tackling the stunned Navy SEAL to the ground as three shots echoed through the room.

Kono and Chin both fired at the ceiling duct at the same time and a second later, Commander Mayer himself dropped lifelessly from the ceiling.

"Danny! DANNY! No, no, no, no, G*d no!" While Chin cleared the corpse of its weapon, Kono rushed toward the two men on the floor. A growing pool of blood was a clear indication someone had been hit.

And then Danny coughed, a wet cough, blood splattering out of his mouth all over his face.

"Chin call and ambulance!" Kono yelled needlessly, Chin already had his phone pressed to his ear as he dashed out the door.

"Ve, vest... w, went... thr, through..." Danny choked. "C, Can't..."

"It's okay brah, don't try and talk, helps coming," Steve urged. "We've got you... _I_ got you." Kono could feel tears welling up in her eyes but fought them back as she helped Steve peel off Danny's vest.

"Damn it," she muttered. Only one of the three bullets had actually caught the vest, the other had gotten just above it at Danny's shoulder doing god only knew to his insides. The third had hit below the vest at his hip and both were bleeding profusely while the detective grew paler by the second. Steve desperately clutched the wound on Danny's upper body while Kono pressed down on the other warranting a grunt of discomfort.

"G, Guess... m... good f, for somethin'," Danny struggled with a bloody smile. "Nnn… y, y'trust me… now?" The smile vanished however as the downed man started clutching at Steve's arm struggling desperately for a breath. "G, Grace," he wheezed with tears in his eyes.

"Come on Danny, don't do this buddy. I still have to brow-beat you into tearing up that retirement letter," Steve tried desperately. Danny held onto his partner and even though his face screwed shut with pain he smiled again.

"R, resig.. nat, tion, St, Steven," he gurgled. "R, resig.. nat, t, tion." It was the last thing he managed as with another hacking cough the air just seemed to stop all together.

"Danny! Danno come on buddy! Come on, breathe brother, breathe! Chin where the hell are the-!"

"Right here," Chin said leading two paramedics through the door. The emergency personnel were quick to Danny's side and even faster to get him loaded onto a back-board and out the door.

After wrapping up a few things at the crime scene and worryingly not having heard anything from Steve who was right there in the ambulance with Danny; Chin and Kono quickly made their way to Queens Medical to see what was up.

When they got to the E.R. waiting room they quickly went up to the nurses desk after not having found Steve.

The nurse on duty's response? She called for the doctor who looked surprised for a moment before double checking with the nurse.

"Commander McGarrett's being treated for shock among other things," she'd replied. "He collapsed once Detective Williams was rolled through the doors. He'll be okay though, if you'll follow me I'll bring you to him." Having heard this Chin and Kono looked at one another, shaking their heads before following the doctor to one of the private rooms.

Two of the saddest, tired, malnourished, dehydrated eyes looked up at them when they walked through the door. The doctor checked Steve's vitals before nodding and turning to the cousins.

"He'll need the IV's for several more hours," she said. "It appears he hasn't eaten or drank much over the last few days but he's agreed to try… isn't that right Commander?"

"Anything to get me out of here Doc," Steve replied with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Any word on my partner?" he asked. The doctor sighed, clearly this question had been asked several times before but like a medical professional she gently said;

"He's still in surgery. Probably will be for some time but I'll see if I can get someone down here to give you an update."

Once the doctor had left, Chin and Kono looked at their teammate and for a moment said nothing. Then Kono stepped forward, put a hand on her bosses shoulder and knew just what to say.

"Been a rough month eh, boss?" Steve's eyes misted over with tears that would never dare fall. His lips wobbled with a cry that would forever remain silent. His head drooped as he fiddled with one of the two IV's in his hands before looking up, taking a breath and smiling a smile that again never reached his eyes.

"Yeah," he croaked. "Yeah it has."

Seventeen hours later, Kono quietly slipped into Danny's ICU room where he'd been brought after surgery and where Steve had demanded to be brought to threatening anyone who'd oppose him.

The detective looked lifeless, save the rise and fall of his chest. He looked small which despite his stature was never a word Kono would ever use to describe Danny Williams. But worst of all from the sight before her, was Steve, IV pole still at his side and with a look in his eyes that was so broken, Kono had trouble making any sort of eye contact.

"Doctor's say the worst is behind us," Chin said. He'd slipped in just behind Kono putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Danny's a tough guy," Kono added. "And he was lucky he got to the hospital so quick." When Steve just nodded, Kono looked at her cousin in worry. Chin apparently decided to try again.

"Rachel wants us all to know she's praying for Danny and that she'll wait for more word on how he's doing before she tells Grace," he said. When this still failed to get Steve to say anything, Chin opened his mouth to speak again.

Only Steve suddenly spoke without looking at the cousins.

"I let him believe I didn't trust him," the man said, his eyes glued to the still unconscious form before him. "I stood there and let him think I question his value to the team and to the right side of the law."

"Steve…" Chin tried. Finally Steve looked up at the two, his eyes lost.

"What kind of person does that to his best friend? What kind of person am I?" he asked. Kono was finally realizing one of two things at the moment. One; Steve was still suffering from lack of food, sleep and the shock of seeing his best friend/brother get shot after a terrible argument; and two; that maybe, just maybe he should have put a little more thought into his nonchalant words towards Danny's work ethic.

"Just after your fight he told me he was resigning because he wanted to make sure you're safe, making sure you kept Chin and I safe by not having to look over your shoulder," Kono said quietly. Steve furrowed his brow.

"Because he thought I didn't trust him or didn't trust him the same as I would another SEAL," he added quietly. The pain was clear on the man's face but Kono went on. She didn't want Steve to think she was saying what she had to make him feel bad. All she wanted to do was make sure the words she said next were as powerful as they'd felt to her when she'd first heard them.

"He also said how much he respected you and everything you've done for Hawaii and the country," she went on. "His daughter thinks he's a superhero and that's because Five-0, _you_ gave him a chance. I told him and I'll tell you, it was a hard case for all of us but we're still a team, we're still Five-0. When he wakes up you can can be the first tell him exactly the same."

For a moment, Kono wondered if she'd said the wrong thing but then a sad smile crossed Steve's face as well as Chin's.

"You been brushing up on your hostage negotiation cuz?" her cousin asked.

"I'd say so," Steve said quietly but with his smile growing a bit. "How else would one so very gently tell a Navy SEAL to pull my head out of my ass and listen to my team for once?" Kono smiled nervously wondering if her boss would take it as an insult instead of advice to make things right in the future.

"It's one bad case guys," Kono shrugged trying to hide her worry that she'd overstepped her bounds as the rookie of the team. "We'll get it right next time, yeah?"

After a pause Steve stood on wobbly legs and pulled her into a hug and she knew she'd said the right thing. A moment later and the hug was over, Steve using Chin's guiding arm to sit back down into the chair at Danny's bedside. All three members settled in without hesitation and without even bothering to ask if Steve needed to be in his own bed resting.

A week and a half later Danny started coming around and was doing exceptionally well, as the doctors had put it.

Two days after that, Chin and Kono had gotten the call they'd been waiting for.

Steve called them at the office around one in the afternoon saying Danny was awake and he was responding coherently to the doctors' questions. There would be more testing but Steve had being ordered home for the night only to return at nothing earlier than noon the next day.

While Chin and Kono had split their time from the office to the hospital after the first few days, Steve had barely managed a few hours or so away from his partner's side. Now that the man was showing all the right signs, it was easier for hospital staff to force the Navy SEAL out of the hospital to get some proper rest.

The next day, when Chin and Kono approached Danny's hospital room door they heard slightly raised but familiar voices to which they slowed their pace. For a second, Kono had the frightening thought that her teammates were still arguing with one another but it was Chin who held her back with a smile on his face and motioned for her to just listen.

"The _difference, _Commander McIdiot, is thus; to resign means to leave ones current job and potentially seek out another. To retire means to give up working altogether and take up a hobby like, I don't know knitting or something. And lastly, to quit means to give up and let me tell you, Steven, Williams' do not, I repeat, do not, give up on anything or anyone." Kono smiled, that definitely sounded like what she was used to hearing in the office.

"So by that logic, you're not allowed to resign because it would go against your DNA as a Williams, am I right? To resign from Five-0 would be quitting because you're giving up on me, yes?"

There was dead silence before Steve went on;

"I mean… if you don't give up on anything or any_one_ you definitely can't give up on me. I mean, wouldn't it be some sort of great triumph to be the only Williams able to survive a partnership with the most reckless, hard-headed, stubborn son of a bitch Navy SEAL there apparently is on the face of the Earth?"

More silence before Steve added one more thing and Kono could swear she heard a trade mark grin forming on both men's faces.

"I wouldn't be asking that of anyone else Danno. It wouldn't feel right," Steve said with a fond tone. "And... I'm sorry." Kono had to close her eyes as she relished in the warmth of those words and the true bond between two men as strong as the closest of brothers. Chin's arm curled around her and she leaned into the hug with a soft chuckle.

"Yeah," Danny finally acquiesced. "Me too."

"What could you possibly have to be sorry for?" Steve replied with genuine confusion.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not sorry for calling you out if that's what you're thinking. You're an animal when it comes to police procedure and don't think I'm ever going to let up on you for that," Danny went on with a humorous tone to his voice. "I _will_, however apologize for making you think that I maybe… _just a little bit_, don't _entirely_ hate it when you put the fear of G*d into a suspect and make them cough up whatever we need to get on with the case."

"Aww, Danny… you had me at fear of G*d," Steve laughed.

"You're incorrigible," Danny sighed even though he too let out a still quite pained but amused snort. "Ow... don't make me laugh," the detective chuckled.

Chin and Kono took that as a sign that it was safe to enter the hospital room having both men look up with smiles upon their arrival.

"Perfect timing," Steve grinned. "Don't suppose you still have Detective Williams letter of resignation, do you officer Kalakaua?" he asked. Kono blinked innocently while Danny playfully narrowed his tired eyes at her.

"Resignation letter?" she asked. "What resignation letter?"

"Good answer Kono," Steve grinned. "Good answer."

"You're all out to get me," Danny snarled. They all started laughing only to have Danny wince and grunt in pain as he tried to stop before croaking; "Stop making me laugh you bastards!"

Back at Five-0 H.Q. two neatly labeled envelopes were tucked safely away in Kono's bottom desk drawer; one for Steve and one for the Governor of Hawaii. Out of respect for Danny's wishes, misplaced or not, she'd photocopied his resignation letter just as she knew he'd intended to do. She didn't like it, she hated it in fact but if Danny had still wanted that once he woke up and both he and Steve were back to normal, she would have sent it as soon as the man had asked.

She'd readied the letters just as quickly as she'd tucked them away in hopes Danny would never actually want them to see the light of day.

Now Kono knew exactly what to do with them and couldn't be happier. She smiled at her thoughts and looked at the men around her who'd helped shape her into the police officer she was today.

"I've got it guys; we should have a bonfire kama'aina style on the beach to celebrate once Danny gets out of here." Then widening her grin and giving the Jersey detective a knowing wink she added; "Eh Danny?"

The detective smiled a smile that reached his eyes and then some.

"Sounds nice," he replied. "I just may have some paperwork I think Steve probably wants to burn."

* * *

**THE END! I had fun with this... but then again I usually do writing pretty much anything. I hope you liked it and would love to hear some review. Good or constructive, I'll take'em all!**

**Thanks again for reading.**

**Oz**


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